


The First

by GothicBarbie



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Angst, Boys Kissing, Chaptered, Cheating, Dancing in the Rain, Drinking, First Kiss, First Time, Guilt, Jealousy, M/M, Pining, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-24
Updated: 2012-12-24
Packaged: 2017-11-22 07:52:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/607540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GothicBarbie/pseuds/GothicBarbie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first romantic thought Harry Styles had about his friend and band mate Liam Payne was not a pure one.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The First Thought

**Author's Note:**

> KEEP IN MIND THIS WAS MY VERY FIRST FIC EVERRRRR SO ITS PRETTY BAD. LOL.

The first romantic thought Harry Styles had about his friend and band mate Liam Payne was not a pure one.

It was nearing the end of the American tour for One Direction. The boys were on stage performing their newest single _One Thing_. Liam was performing his solo at the end of the song and Harry had plotted his revenge.  A few weeks prior, Liam and Zayn had ripped Harry’s shirt open during his _What Makes You Beautiful_ solo, and it was now Harry’s chance to seek revenge. This time he had Niall in on the joke. The two approached Liam and initiated the action done to Harry previously. Unfortunately, Harry’s revenge didn’t go as planned. Liam was always such a good sport about these types of things and doesn’t get embarrassed easily. Of course he laughed it off, not forgetting to shoot an angry (though not serious) look in Harry’s direction. Harry is ready to combat but is distracted by Liam’s now exposed chest. A feeling stirs inside Harry that is a little unfamiliar to him. He’s seen Liam naked before (or at least, nearly) loads of times. But for some reason, this time is different. Liam’s got that big grin on his face that the girls find irresistible and Harry can see small beads of sweat glistening on Liam’s toned abs. For a flicker of a second Harry wonders what it would be like to kiss him. The song continues but Harry’s mind is racing. _He imagines the two standing close together, Harry’s hands on his face, lips almost touching. He can feel Liam’s heart beating and both are breathing hard._ Suddenly, Harry’s forced back to reality when Liam pushes him lightly off stage, signifying the boys’ last wardrobe change.

While changing Harry glances at Liam briefly to find the boy already looking his direction. “I’m so gonna kill you for this!” Liam yells while laughing. He’s holding the ripped shirt, then tosses it lightly at Harry.

“No, now we’re even!” Harry responds and Liam laughs once again, his eyes scrunching in the adorable way that they always do and he leaves to grab his next outfit. _What is wrong with me?_ Harry thinks. Sure, he’s had the occasional “gay” thought before, hasn’t everyone at one point? Hell, many fans truly believe he’s dating Louis (which is almost absurd to Harry, they are almost brotherly). But up until now Harry’s been ignoring such thoughts. I mean, it’s natural to be curious right? But Harry cannot help it; his thoughts are roaming now, realizing how close him and Liam have actually become in the last months since the tour. The two are always joking around with each other and touching. In fact, Liam was the first person Harry was really close to in the early days, before him and Louis became best friends. Harry wonders why he’s never had these thoughts before, although since the start of all of this Liam’s personality has changed drastically. Maybe it’s just been building this entire time? No. Harry refuses to let his mind wander farther. He joins the boys back onstage in time for the final songs and kicks his thoughts away. He does not have feelings for Liam Payne. Definitely not.


	2. The First Look

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first romantic look Liam shared with Harry lasted just a little bit too long.

The first romantic look Liam shared with Harry lasted just a little bit too long.

The boys were hanging out backstage, their recent show just ended and they were all busy doing their own things. Louis was being hyper as usual, running around and chatting with management. Niall and Zayn were snacking on some food and talking about who knows what. And Harry was lounging in chair across from Liam; he looked to be deep in thought. Liam wondered what was going on in his head.

            His phone buzzed and Liam saw that he had a text from his girlfriend, Danielle. She was asking about the concert. Liam stared at the phone for a minute before hitting the off button. He felt guilty for ignoring her text, but he just wasn’t in the mood to talk to her. In fact, he hadn’t been in the mood for a long time. When they first met he had wanted to spend every second with her, but lately he found he just wanted to spend his extra time with the guys. They had all become so much closer since the tour, if that was even possible. From the outside, their relationships with one another probably didn’t seem normal; he had never acted this way with any of his previous friends. But they were all so comfortable with each other… always hugging, dancing, and touching each other. They even kissed. Okay, so they weren’t exactly kisses, they liked to call them “love bites” but still. Liam’s four best friends had really caused him to come out of his shell.

            Liam was startled by a pillow hitting him in the face; Harry was the culprit, of course. Who else? Maybe Liam was imagining things, but it felt like Harry was paying more and more attention to him recently. Normally Liam felt a little left out of the group, but that was always okay with him, he considered himself to be daddy direction after all. But lately he and Harry had gotten extremely close, maybe too close. A few weeks back at the end of one of their songs, Harry had grabbed Liam’s… well… junk. And just last week Harry had ripped off Liam’s shirt during a concert. Okay, so maybe that wasn’t so weird, hell, Liam had done it to Harry first. And all the boys toyed with one another. But since then Liam felt like Harry had been looking at him a lot. Liam tried to shrug it off but he couldn’t help but be curious. Maybe he was just imagining things. Surely, there couldn’t be something else there, could there?

            Liam decided to play along and threw the pillow back at Harry, hard. Harry laughed his infectious laugh that made Liam laugh and the boys began to engage in an all out pillow fight. It only lasted a minute or so before management yelled at them to stop. Liam retreated back to his chair, feeling Harry’s eyes on him again. Liam decided in that moment to test something. He sat down and leaned back, then locked his eyes right on Harry’s, forcing himself not to look away. Harry kept his gaze with Liam strong and the two just stared at one other, much longer than necessary. Liam could feel the tension between the two and neither spoke. The stare was only broken when Louis came bounding over to Harry and ruffled him on the head. Louis took a seat next to the curly haired boy and Harry’s gaze was broken away as the two engaged in conversation. Liam grabbed his phone and stood up, deciding to join Niall and Zayn. As he walked away he caught one last look from Harry to him. Did Harry just glance at lips?

            Okay. So maybe he wasn’t imagining things.

 


	3. The First Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first romantic touch between Harry and Liam occurred while Harry was not 100% sober.

The first romantic touch between Harry and Liam occurred while Harry was not 100% sober.

            All the boys were drinking – minus Liam, as usual. They were in a big city this week and it was only necessary that they all went out and had fun. Harry was trying his best to ignore Liam. Clearly trying to be friendly and act like things were fine wasn’t working. Is it possible that Harry’s flirtation was getting to Liam? He swore that Liam was looking at him differently lately. Things just felt more awkward between them, as if Liam could read Harry’s thoughts. But, there was no way. Harry didn’t even know what he was feeling exactly, how could Liam? Harry decided the only way to resolve this weird tension was to ignore him completely. Harry drank just a little more than usual; he also danced a little more than usual. The boys were having a blast, even Zayn was on the dance floor tonight. Harry shot a glance in Liam’s direction and saw him dancing stupidly with Niall. It amazed him how outgoing and fun Liam could be while completely sober. Ignoring Liam turned out to be easier than he anticipated. It actually seemed like he was the one being avoided. Harry tried not to let that get to him but he couldn’t really help it. He wasn’t able to concentrate on anything but Liam for the past weeks. He kept telling himself that he only felt this way because it was a challenge, and because it was impossible to have Liam. It wasn’t just because he was another man but also because he was a friend, and a bandmate. Not to mention Liam wasn’t even available. God damnit, there were so many things wrong with this situation. And the drinking wasn’t helping; in fact, it was probably making things worse. But Harry didn’t care, he needed an excuse to break away from the group; Liam was too close.

Harry went to the bar and took a seat. A bartender wandered over and took his drink order. Harry went to reach into his pocket for some cash when he saw someone stand next to him. Fuck, it was Liam. The one person he did NOT want to face this exact moment.

“Haz, don’t you think you’ve had enough?” Apparently the latest awkwardness between the two wasn’t enough to prevent Daddy Direction from being his usual protective self. Normally Harry would have found it sweet but tonight he just wasn’t up for it.   

“Nope,” was all Harry had managed to say. He didn’t mean to come off rude but after the words left his mouth he heard the anger in them. Liam stared at him for a second before taking a seat next to Harry. He scooted his own chair so that he was close to Harry’s face.

“Are you mad at me or something Harry?” Harry turned to see Liam’s brown eyes staring at him.

“Why would you think that?” Harry shot back.

“I dunno...” It looked like Liam was about to say something else but stopped himself. “Never mind. Just let me know when you’re ready to go. Zayn and Niall have already headed out and I think Louis is ready to go whenever you are.” Liam stood from the seat and slinked away back towards the dance floor.

Harry spun his chair around and watched Liam resume talking with Louis. Harry re-evaluated his options, he could either stay and watch Liam and sulk for longer. Or he could join them, pretend like everything was fine and torture himself. His last option was to go home and try to sleep this off. Harry downed his drink then stood from his stool. He stumbled a little but eventually found his footing and then made his way towards Liam. He meant to grab Liam by the wrist briefly, but his hands found their way to Liam’s waist instead. Harry dug his fingers into Liam’s side; he could feel skin where Liam’s shirt had rumpled up slightly. He felt Liam flinch beneath him and the older boy turned to face Harry. Harry should have removed his hand but the alcohol in his system gave him courage and he instead squeezed harder. He leaned in close to Liam, their faces only inches away, “I’m ready.” Was all Harry said before walking away, his hand lightly brushing off from Liam’s side.

Harry swore he could feel Liam’s eyes on his back as he exited.


	4. The First Hug

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first romantic hug that Liam and Harry shared made Liam’s life so much more difficult.

The first romantic hug that Liam and Harry shared made Liam’s life so much more difficult.

            Liam could barely keep his eyes on the road as he drove Harry and Louis back to the hotel. Louis was seated next to him, busy texting someone (probably Eleanor) on his phone. Harry was in the back seat lying down. Liam couldn’t tell if he was asleep or not; he couldn’t see Harry’s eyes from this angle, but he was thankful for that. The car ride was silent and it gave Liam time to think. The events from the past week were weighing heavily on his mind. Liam had come to a shocking conclusion; Harry definitely had feelings for him. There was no other explanation. First there was all of Harry’s weird and gradual flirting. Then came the awkward glances. And then the ignoring started. Okay, so maybe Liam had been ignoring him too, but he didn’t know what to think. How was he supposed to handle this situation? He kept trying to convince himself that he was imagining things but after tonight… there was no way. Harry had _caressed_ his side. He certainly hadn’t imagined that, he could still feel Harry’s fingers pressed into him. But the most troubling of all of this was not Harry’s actions, it was Liam’s feelings. He didn’t want to admit that he cared, but when Harry had touched him it sparked something inside of him. He couldn’t even blame the alcohol, he didn’t even drink. But the truth is, he had been feeling _something_ for a while now. He just wasn’t sure exactly what that was. He didn’t even want to think about it, but when Harry touched him and got close to him… _snap out of it!_ Liam thought to himself. He was not going to entertain the thought.

            Once they were back at the hotel Liam parked and sat for a minute to think. He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Danielle. “I love you” was all it said. That should do it. Liam then got out of the car and opened the back door for Harry. Louis could barely walk strait – he was no use – so Liam would have to help Harry on his own.  Great. “Come on Haz.” Liam grabbed one of Harry’s arms and put it around his shoulder as he walked Harry inside.

“I love it when you call me that!” Harry smiled at Liam and Liam found his eyes move to the dimple in Harry’s cheek. Liam willed himself not to speak and instead helped Harry to his room.

Once inside Harry sat on the bed and kicked off his shoes. He then proceeded to remove his shirt and pants. Liam took this as his cue to leave and whispered a feint “goodnight” before turning to leave.

“No, wait!” Harry yelled before stumbling over to Liam. Before Liam knew what was happening Harry had grabbed Liam and pulled him into a tight hug. Liam stood still for a second before awkwardly placing his hands on Harry’s back – painfully aware of how warm Harry’s skin felt against his finger tips. Harry leaned back a smidge to whisper in Liam’s ear. “Thanks for taking care of me Li, you’re a good friend.” Liam almost didn’t want to let go but Harry pulled away and found his way back to his bed before collapsing face down. Liam took a minute to watch him, resisted the urge to cover him with the sheets and turned around to leave. He shut the door, but he was frozen. He leaned back and his body made a light thud sound when it hit the wood. Liam closed his eyes.

He was screwed.


	5. The First Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first fight Liam and Harry shared didn’t end how they expected it to.

The first fight Liam and Harry shared didn’t end how they expected it to.

It had been a few days since the drunken debacle and the boys were off to the next town. They were enjoying one of their free days, or at least in Harry’s case, he was trying to. Ever since the night Liam had taken him home, he had been avoiding him like the plague. Memories from that night were cloudy but Harry knew he took things maybe a bit too far. Liam would barely look at him. Harry was unsure of where to go from here. Sure, nothing physical had happened, not really, but the tension was palpable. Harry was surprised that none of the other boys had picked up on it yet. To make matters worse Danielle was in town visiting Liam which put Harry in a terrible mood.  Liam was currently cuddling up with Danielle on a couch in Liam’s room.  The entire band and management team was gathered there enjoying room service and just hanging out. Harry was trying his best to keep occupied but he couldn’t help stealing glances in Liam’s direction. At one moment Harry caught Liam’s gaze. Liam held eye contact for barely a second before leaning into Danielle to kiss her. Harry couldn’t handle this anymore. It had only been a day since she got here and he was already going crazy. Harry slammed the magazine he had been “reading” on the table a little bit louder than he anticipated and it pulled the attention of Liam and Danielle to him. “I think I’m gonna take a quick nap.” Harry says to no one in particular and gets up to leave the room. He makes his way across the hall to his and Louis’ room, slams the door shut, and sits on the bed; not wanting to think. He doesn’t know why Liam has this effect on him lately but it’s eating him up. Part of him just wants to rip the band aid and admit how he feels; at least he could get it off of his chest. But he knows how stupid that would be. He doesn’t want to freak Liam out, or worse, lose him as a friend completely. On the other hand, he can’t stand being in Liam’s presence anymore… it’s too hard. Harry decides the best cause of action will just be to avoid Liam altogether and let it blow over. It’s just a stupid crush, how hard could it be to get over? Before he can think any longer he hears the door handle turn. _Great_ , Harry thinks to himself. He really doesn’t want to see anyone right now. To his surprise it’s Liam who walks through the door. Harry is frozen. What is Liam doing? Liam stands right in front of Harry, his face not his usual smiley self, but serious. “What’s wrong with you?” Liam looks at Harry, searching for answers.

“Huh?” Is all Harry can say, he doesn’t know what kind of response Liam is looking for.

“You’ve been acting so weird lately!” Liam almost shouts. Harry waits for him to continue but when Liam doesn’t say anything Harry scoots forward on the bed and stands.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Harry awkwardly slides past Liam, his shoulder brushing against the slighter shorter boys. Avoid is all Harry can think to do. He starts to leave the room but Liam is too quick. He grabs Harry’s arm from behind and spins him around, simultaneously slamming him into the wall. “Ow!” Harry yells. “What’s your problem mate?!”

“My problem?” Liam is fuming. “Why have you been avoiding me all week? And being so rude to Danielle?”

Harry looks down at his feet. What is he supposed to say? The two boys stand there awkwardly for a moment, Liam’s hand still around Harry’s wrist. Harry looks back up at Liam – his brown eyes are staring right into his. Liam is breathing hard, waiting for an answer from Harry. Harry glances down at Liam’s lips for a second – God he wants to kiss him so bad. Harry decides to take a risk.

“You know why.” Is all that Harry can whisper. It’s enough. When Harry looks at Liam he feels like he can barely breathe.  He’s trying to read Liam’s reaction, waiting for him to storm out, or go off on Harry or _something_ but Liam just stands there staring, not quite shocked, but not appalled either. Before Harry knows what’s happening Liam moves his other hand behind Harry and places it on the wall, steadying himself. Harry can barely breathe now; he can feel Liam getting closer…

A knock on the door interrupts the moment and Liam pushes himself away from the wall. He walks over to the door and answers. It’s Danielle. “Babe, what are you doing?” She asks.

“Um…” Liam glances back at Harry, Harry can’t read his face. “Just talking to Haz.” (There’s that name again) “We were thinking of doing something different with the lyrics in Save You… nothing important.” Liam lies. The two walk out of the room without another word to Harry and Harry hears the door slam behind him.

What the fuck just happened?


	6. The First Kiss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first kiss Liam and Harry shared was… intense.

The first kiss Liam and Harry shared was… intense.

Liam was heading over to Louis and Harry’s room. It was 8 pm, the boys had recently flown into the last town on their tour. They had all agreed to meet up and have a “movie” night, just the five of them, and Liam was dreading it. He really didn’t want to be around Harry, not in such close proximity. The last time he was in that room with Harry things didn’t exactly go as planned. It had been Liam’s intention to confront Harry about his feelings and then dismiss him, remind him that he was in love with Danielle. But things didn’t exactly turn out that way, did they? Liam didn’t know what came over him, but in that moment he wasn’t thinking. Harry made him feel things that he’d never felt for anyone before. It confused him, but weirdly excited him. He and Harry had barely spoken since, luckily he had Danielle around to keep him distracted and Harry kept his distance too. But now Danielle was gone and they were in a potentially damaging situation. Liam had never been this confused in his life and he didn’t know how to handle it.

He reached the room and stood outside for a minute. He could hear Harry’s laugh from inside. Oh God. He took a deep breath then headed inside. When he walked in the room the boys were spread out on the two beds, with the exception of Niall, who appeared to be asleep on the floor. To Liam’s horror Louis and Zayn were on one bed, Harry was alone on the other. Just great, where was Liam supposed to sit? Next to Harry of course.

“Hey guys.” Liam said awkwardly, glancing at Harry for a second.  Louis and Zayn responded but Harry just looked at Liam, his beautiful green eyes staring into him. Fuck, he looked good. Liam tried his hardest to push those thoughts away and took a seat on the opposite side of the bed from Harry, as far away as he could get without looking suspicious. “What’s up with him?” Liam asked, nodding to Niall.

“Poor lad crashed about ten minutes after he got here. We told him if he wasn’t gonna watch the movie he had to get on the floor.” Louis laughed as he threw a pillow teasingly at Niall. Niall made a short jerk but continued sleeping. Zayn mentioned something about feeling tired himself. “Then let’s get this going!” Louis yelled and jumped off the bed. He went to put the movie in, grabbed some popcorn from the table and handed one bag to Harry and one to Zayn.

“Where’d you get popcorn?” Liam asked with a small laugh, trying to keep things light.

“Me and Lou went downstairs to use the microwave earlier. Ran into some crazy girls on the way over too!” Zayn went into detail on his story and Liam took the opportunity to lean back on the bed against the headboard. Harry did the same, then turned to him.

“Popcorn?” was all he said, putting the bag between the two.

“Sure” Liam responded casually.

            As the movie played Liam barely moved. He couldn’t pay attention and instead took notice of all of the little moments between him and Harry, as much as he tried not to. Like when Harry shifted slightly and his left leg brushed against Liam’s. Or when Harry reached for popcorn at the same time as Liam and their hands touched. Liam could see Harry was breathing hard, he looked just as nervous as he was.

            Halfway through the film Harry sat up to remove his sweater. “It’s hot in here” he mumbled.

            No kidding, Liam thought automatically. He couldn’t help but sneak a peek at Harry’s stomache showing from under his shirt when he lifted. Suddenly Harry laughed. “Check it out.” He nodded towards Louis and Zayn and Liam could see that both had nodded off. Zayn’s head was even resting on Louis’ shoulder.

Both Liam and Harry laughed, “so much for movie night.” Liam said as Harry grabbed the remote from the center table and turned down the volume a bit.

“I couldn’t really pay attention anyway.” Harry said, not looking at Liam, staring at his feet.

Shit. Not this again. Liam looked at Harry and caught his eye. Liam was now painfully aware of how warm Harry’s arm felt against his. Liam could feel Harry’s pinky gently moving against his own hand and the two held their gaze. Liam’s head was telling him to stop. To make some excuse and run out of the room. But his heart, (and maybe some other parts of him) were telling him to stay, to let things play out.

Before Liam could decide anything Harry leaned into him and kissed him. It was a quick kiss, but soft and intense and Liam let it happen. Harry pulled back for a second to look at Liam, searching him, as if to ask whether it was okay. _Screw it,_ Liam thought as he reached forward to grab Harry’s face in his hands and kissed him back – hard. Harry leaned into the kiss and Liam could feel a flicker of his tongue against his lips. Liam opened his mouth wider to let Harry’s tongue in further and Liam released a soft moan, it was out of his control. Kissing Harry felt so good. So right. And he didn’t want to stop. Almost instinctively the boys fell back on the bed. Harry shifted his weight so that he was literally on top of Liam. Liam moved his legs apart so that Harry fit between them. The kiss deepened and Harry pressed harder against him. Liam let go of Harry’s face so that he could steady himself. He placed an arm awkwardly against the bed post and the other arm gripped the side table. Something crashed to the floor, making a loud “thud” sound and Harry pulled himself quickly off of Liam. Harry glanced in Zayn and Louis’ direction but neither had heard it. He looked back at Liam, a small smile formed on his face. Liam smiled back and Harry started to lean back into him. “Just a sec.” Liam responded, reaching down to grab the item that had fallen on the ground. It was a wallet. Liam glanced inside for a brief second out of curiosity and found that it was Louis’. The first photo inside was of the four of them, four being Louis, Liam… and their girlfriends. Liam stares at the photo, reminded of Danielle and he can feel Harry pull away from him.  Liam can’t help but feel extremely guilty. What is he doing? Danielle is, sweet. She is so good to him. And he’s here with Harry, kissing him… cheating on her. This was not like him. “I can’t do this.” Liam says, not able to look at Harry.

Liam places the wallet back on the table and gets up. He can feel Harry’s eyes on him, his body not moving. It breaks Liam’s heart to do this to Harry; he knows he’s led him on and ruined their friendship forever. But he can’t be this person. “I’m sorry” he repeats before leaving and shuts the door behind him.

Walking out on Harry has become a habit.

 


	7. The First Words

It had been three months since the tour ended and it was Christmas time once again. Harry found himself stalling. Louis was taking him to see Liam for the holiday. Thankfully it wouldn’t just be Liam, his family was throwing a huge Christmas bash. Everyone they knew would be there, so maybe Harry could avoid Liam completely. After all, it had worked for the last three months. The day after their kiss Harry and Liam barely spoke, except for the obvious polite responses that were necessary. They finished the tour and went home. Harry doesn’t know what they would have done if they hadn’t of gotten some time off before the craziness started all over again. The entire drive over Harry thought of Liam. It pained him to do so, but Harry wondered if the boy missed him. Liam was always on his mind. Week after week he fought the urge to just pick up the phone and call. But then one thought kept popping back into his head… Danielle. As long as Liam was still with her, nothing would happen. Not that it would even matter either way, Liam probably didn’t even want him. But then why did the boy kiss him back? Why would he feel the need to avoid him? Harry drove himself insane with these kind of thoughts.

When they finally arrived at Liam’s, Harry’s stomach was in knots. Luckily it was Liam’s mom that opened the door and escorted the boys inside. Niall and Zayn were already there and Harry followed Louis over to talk with them. Harry scanned the room quickly and spotted Liam in the distance, chatting away with some people Harry didn’t recognize. Liam glanced over and locked eyes with Harry. Harry tried desperately to read Liam’s expression but he couldn’t and after a minute or two Liam sauntered over to the boys. “Hey guys!” He greeted Zayn first, hugging him. They exchanged a few words and he made his way down the line. Harry could barely focus. When Liam stepped towards Harry he looked to hesitate for a brief second before he pulled him into a tight hug. Harry was very much aware of Liam’s hand brushing against the back of his neck, under his curls. Liam smelled so good… and Harry reamed himself for thinking so. The boys (minus Harry) chatted briefly about what they’d been up to over the break. Harry found it odd that Liam mentioned so much time spending time with family, but Niall was the first to venture into asking the question that was on Harry’s mind.

“What about Danielle?”

Everyone was quiet for a minute waiting for Liam’s response, Harry specifically. He felt like a needle could drop and make a huge noise it was so quiet.

“We actually broke up” Liam spoke quietly, then snuck a glance to Harry, “right after the tour.” Harry could barely look at Liam and he heard the other boys’ shock and surprise as they started asking Liam endless questions. Liam gave generic answers, saying the distance was hard, they just weren’t in love anymore, blah blah blah. But Harry didn’t want to hear it; this news crushed him. He should have been happy but hearing that Liam had broken up with Danielle right after the tour and yet had never called Harry… clearly Liam wasn’t interested in him at all.

“I’m sorry man.” Harry mumbled before mentioning something about needing to use the toilet. He excused himself and wandered aimlessly down the hallway. All this time he thought maybe Liam was confused, that eventually he’d come around. But Liam wasn’t confused at all. He knew exactly what he wanted and it wasn’t Harry. Harry eventually leaned against the wall and sat on the floor to think.

After ten minutes or so Harry contemplated what to do. He really didn’t want to see Liam right now. Unfortunately, his fears came true and like de ja vu, Liam managed to find Harry once again.

“Harry!” Liam yells, running slightly to catch up with the younger boy.

“What Liam?!” Harry snaps back. What could he possibly want?

“What happened to you? You’ve been gone for ages. Everyone’s worrying. “

“Worrying?” Harry asks skeptically. “Come off it Liam, I went to the bathroom. I doubt everyone’s concerned.”

“Okay so maybe not everyone but _me_. Are you avoiding me?”

Harry looks at Liam with an _are you serious_ face and starts to walk away, it’s not even worth the argument. Liam reaches out and grabs Harry by the wrist to stop him.

“Don’t.” Harry turns to face Liam. Liam looks hurt and drops his hand from Harry’s wrist. Liam stares at Harry with a blank expression. Before he can stop himself Harry bursts out, “what if I am?” Harry can see the confusion on Liam’s face. All he wants to do is reach out and hold him, but he knows he can’t.

“Why?” Liam asks, pleading with Harry.

“Are you joking?” Harry asks rudely. Does Liam seriously have the balls to act like nothing is wrong?

“No, Harry. I don’t understand why you are so upset.”  Liam looks at Harry with his big brown eyes and Harry can see that he is genuinely confused. This seems to piss of Harry even more.

“Oh, I don’t know Liam… maybe because it’s what you’ve been doing for the last three months?”

Liam takes a breath and looks down at the ground. “I wasn’t avoiding you Harry” is all that he can get out before Harry interrupts.

“Bullshit!” Harry yells back at him.

Harry can see that Liam doesn’t know how to react. He pleads with Harry, “Can we go somewhere more private to talk?”

“I don’t have anything to say to you.”

“Please, Harry?” Harry feels himself weaken as Liam stares at him. Harry can’t resist that face. He doesn’t say yes but nods slightly. Liam reaches forward again, more hesitantly this time and grabs Harry’s hand gently. Such a small gesture effects Harry more than it should. Liam pulls Harry behind him into the nearest empty bedroom. He only lets go so that he can reach around Harry and shut the door behind them. Harry moves from behind Liam, he can’t be this close to him, and goes to sit on the bed. After a moment of silence Harry speaks out, “What could you possibly have to say to me?”

“Loads of stuff” Liam responds.

“Oh really? Like maybe an apology? For leading me on for weeks? Using me? Picking Danielle over me? Breaking up with her and then ignoring me for three months!?” As Harry continues he can hear his voice rising.

“For all of it!” Liam almost screams. “You have no idea how hard this has all been for me Haz.” Harry flinches at the name and looks down, not being able to look at Liam. “I’ve never felt like this before… I wasn’t sure what to do with the feeling.” Harry sat silently and let him continue. “Harry, I was so confused. And so scared. I didn’t want to feel this way. So you’re right. I led you on, but only because I didn’t know what I wanted yet. And I picked Danielle because it was easier. But I _never_ used you.” This last sentence makes Harry look up.  “Everything we had, whatever it was, was real. I just couldn’t accept it. And that’s why I avoided you these last months because I wanted so badly to forget you, to make you go away. But you are always in my head! And seeing you tonight only made it worse.” Harry is shocked at what he’s hearing, but he can’t find any words to say. Liam takes a step closer to Harry. “I can’t stop thinking about you, Harry. I think…” Liam pauses and Harry refuses to look away. “I think I’m in love with you.”

The silence in the room was deafening as neither boy spoke. Harry can see the hurt in Liam’s face when he doesn’t respond and retreats backwards towards the door. Harry is about to stop him when Liam continues. “But if you want me to leave, I will understand. I know I’ve hurt you too many times. I just wanted to say I’m sorry.” Liam turned to leave but Harry jumped from the bed and grabs Liam’s wrist, pulling him back towards him. The boys were inches from each other’s faces now. Harry didn’t say a word, really what was left to say? Once again Liam looked confused, patiently waiting for Harry to do something. Harry grabbed Liam by the waist and pulled him into him and kissed him deeply. Harry felt Liam’s arms wrap about him and Harry pulled back for a second, his forehead leaning against Liams. “I forgive you.”

Harry reached up to Liam’s face and grabbed him, kissing him with an intense fury. Liam let out a deep sigh and Harry felt his strong arms tighten around him. Finally. Harry thought he caught a small smile on Liam’s face when he pulled away to catch his breath. Harry couldn’t believe they ended up here. The boys backed up slowly and Harry felt his legs against the back of the bed. He sat and looked up at Liam, Liam’s eyes staring right into him. Liam leaned down and kissed Harry then pushed him softly down onto the bed. Liam took the moment to remove his shirt and then helped Harry pull his over his head. Harry scooted back further on the bed and Liam followed his lead, pushing himself on top of him. The two kissed for a moment and when Liam pulled away to shift Harry whispered, “by the way… me too.” Liam understood the meaning behind Harry’s words and smiled that adorable smile of his. Liam leaned in to kiss Harry’s neck and Harry wanted to scream, it felt so good. Harry sighed briefly and he felt Liam’s hands moving slowly down his sides, before reaching his pant belt. Harry hesitated for a second and Liam pulled away.

“Do you want me to stop?” He asked and Harry should his head no.

“Just want to make sure the door is locked.” He replied and the two laughed softly.

“It’s locked.” Liam smiled and brushed a curl out of Harry’s face .

  
“Good. “ Harry responded. “Because this time…I’m not letting you leave.”

 


End file.
